“Our chemistry has gotten a lot better since the beginning of the year – we share the ball so well,” Ladycats’ senior guard Elizabeth Griffin said. “We have a lot of court awareness about where we are and we’re executing our plays very well right now. It’s gone really well and I’m really enjoying playing with them. We just spend a lot of time together. We go eat together all the time through team dinners and we really just get along with each other.”
The continuity on and off the court was on full display from the result and the eye test alone, and Griffin is the engine that makes the machine go. The star senior, a Saint Mary’s commit, was honored after the game as she scored her 1,000th career points.
“It’s a great accomplishment and I think it really just shows how much work I’ve put in,” Griffin said. “And not just that, really God handles the outcome, so it’s not all me. I have a lot of faith in Him, and I think regardless of what I do, I know He’s going to take care of everything.”
“As a coach, I have a challenge every practice in every open gym to see if anyone beats Liz to the gym,” Coach Donny Ott said. “She is a relentless worker. She gets up here early every day, puts up shots before practice and stays after practice. So, it’s not surprising for me to see her eclipse a record of this nature. And, the one thing I love about her is she’s rooted in her faith, and she trusts her work and teammates.”
While Griffin continues to help set the standard within the program, the entire team did its part defensively, limiting a 15-win Fossil Ridge team to just 28 total points, including only seven at halftime.
“We really pride ourselves on that. It’s something we really have understood that it’s something we can be consistent with game in and game out – we can give effort defensively,” Ott said. “We had a great week of prep and took them through a lot of tough drills this week that really kind of brought out a lot of their tenacity on defense. And, just playing together, you know helping out on the backside – it’s amazing.”
Griffin swished a 3-pointer with just over two minutes left in the opening quarter that gave Aledo a 12-3 lead. In the second quarter, triples by Jaylee Owens, Griffin, and Brooklyn Dempsey pushed the Ladycats’ lead to 21-5 with 4:52 left before halftime. Five different Ladycats scored down the stretch to help Aledo build a halftime lead of 32-7.
Aledo was able to maintain and build on its lead in the second half, largely thanks to productive play from Kate Jackson, Kennedy Cardenas, Sawyer Voight, and Brenna Clock – among others – to finish off the big win.
Along with Griffin’s game-high 19 points, Jackson impressed with 14 while Cardenas and Owens had eight points apiece. Dempsey contributed with six points while Clock had four.
The Ladycats (15-7, 3-0) will compete again at 6:15 p.m. Friday at Saginaw.
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